Merry and Bright
My daughter is here. She was born safely into the world, 9 pounds and 4 ounces, healthy and strong. Her hair is red like mine. Her toes are tiny and kissable.
My son is taking it well. Mostly he is fascinated with his baby sister’s umbilical stump and amused by her funny newborn expressions and noises. He is particularly amused when she passes gas. Today, he declared a fuller opinion of her, and I typed it as he said it so that I could capture his exact words:
“She is small. She has an umbilical cord. She has some socks, some shoes, a small tummy, and that’s it. I feel great, and I think she’s really really cute. She has really small ears. And look at that head! Look at her hands. They’re really really small. Look at her eyes; they’re closed. Look at her nose. She has two holes in it. There’s her mouth, lookit.”
Then he reviewed what I had typed and he corrected me. “No, Mom, it’s not ‘lookit’. It’s ‘look at’.”
Just so we’re all clear.
To add to this bounty of joy, there have also recently been some wonderful write-ups of GROUNDED. In The Tampa Bay Tribune’s “The Cool Aunt’s Guide to Holiday Book Buying”, Amanda Sellet says:
“A fractured fairy tale with heart: Megan Morrison’s “Grounded: the Adventures of Rapunzel” opens with a cheerful Rapunzel happily ensconced in her tower, rebuffing the advances of annoying princes. Only when she is forced to descend among the scary ground people does Rapunzel begin to discover the true story of her world, and the witch, and what she’s been missing while locked away.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever read another book that I would more readily give to fans of Harry Potter. It’s not even anything like the wizarding world. It’s the intangibles, the whimsically detailed world building and sense of history, the fascinating characters, the dichotomy of good and evil and the realization that there is a very large gray area in between that gives credence to the comparison. Grounded is also incredibly well written, funny, and exciting. It’s an exhilarating MG fantasy and a pure delight to read. I was swept away on this magical, emotional journey that I hadn’t expected!”
High praise indeed! That first sentence especially! It sets my nerdy little heart aglow.
The holiday season here in this house is sleepless and happy and full of love and good cheer and delightful reviews and dirty diapers galore. And since I just fell asleep in the middle of typing that sentence, I think I’ll call it a night. Or at least, I’ll call it a nap. My daughter will decide how long that nap gets to be. 45 minutes? Two hours? Maybe even three?
Yeah, my money’s on 45 minutes.
Merry and bright holidays to you all!
12/29/2015 at 11:22 am
Megan!!! First of all, you are so kind! I’m so happy you liked my review so much, my friend saw your post and sent it to me, and it made my day 🙂 🙂 🙂 I meant every word.
And congratulations on your daughter! Omg your son sounds adorable, that is the cutest 😀 “I feel great and I think she’s really really cute” hahah! My heart <3 I'm sure he'll be a great big brother. Hope you had a wonderful holiday.
12/29/2015 at 10:11 pm
No, I should be thanking you, Morgan! Your review is one of the ones I secretly (or not so secretly) return to and reread because it makes me so happy. Have a great time ringing in the new year!
01/02/2016 at 6:57 pm
Awwww!! Well I can’t wait to reread Grounded! Happy New Year 🙂
12/22/2015 at 12:43 pm
Hello! I adored Grounded when I found it at my local library. It was like no fairytale retelling I’d ever read before! So lovely, and so eye-opening; I absolutely fell in love with it. I can hardly wait for the second book to come out:)
Thank you for writing such a fantastic book, Ms.Morrison, and congratulations on having your baby!
12/29/2015 at 10:08 pm
Hi Mara – Thank you! I can’t wait for the second book to come out either. I’m so excited to share it. Happy New Year!
12/16/2015 at 10:40 pm
Congratulations on your new baby girl!! And on the continued glowing reviews…wonderful gifts indeed! Enjoy reveling!
12/16/2015 at 12:23 pm
Congratulations on your new arrival, she sounds perfect! My 8 year old daughter and I just finished reading your book together last night and enjoyed it thoroughly! We didn’t want it to end, so PLEASE write to us about the futre adventures Rapunzel and Jack take together…in your spare time! *Ha ha*
12/16/2015 at 12:43 pm
Hi Jennifer – I just replied to this, but the reply vanished. If you get two replies, that’s why! Hello to you and your daughter, and thank you for your kind words. I’m so glad that you enjoyed Grounded together. Each book in the Tyme series will concentrate on a different fairy tale with different characters – but that doesn’t mean that Rapunzel and Jack are gone for good! You’ll see them again throughout the series and get glimpses of their further adventures together. Happy holidays!